


Explain the Impossible

by PilotInTheStars



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen, Hint of Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 14:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14917466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PilotInTheStars/pseuds/PilotInTheStars
Summary: Hera's Y-Wing is shot down during a supply mission. She is transferred to a bacta tank until she wakes up while her family waits for her.





	Explain the Impossible

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this after rereading the The Last Padawan comics (which I totally recommend), when a certain scenario inspired this fic. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Jacen didn’t cry when Rex kneeled in front of him and told him that his mother was injured in a Y-Wing crash. His brain tried to process what happened as Rex took him in a bear-hug. Rex then asked if he wanted to go to the medbay to see his mother. 

Jacen immediately nodded a “yes.” 

Rex immediately took him to the medbay, and not another word was said until they got there.

When they got to the medbay, Jacen saw his mother had been placed into a bacta tank, obviously unconscious from the way her head lolled forward a little and how her limbs were held up. A respirator had been placed over her mouth while her eyes were closed. And Jacen hated it.

“Is Mama going to be okay?”

“She will be.” Rex pointed to the tank and Jacen glanced toward it. “Bacta helps people heal. Trust me, I’ve used a lot of bacta in my life, and look at me. I’m good as new.”

“Why does Mama have to be put in the bacta tank?”

“They want her to heal from the crash somewhat, or at least until she wakes up.” 

Jacen sat with Rex for a while, playing with the little toy ship his mother had given him, and trying to fight sleep. Rex kept asking him if he wanted to go back to the ship and sleep, but Jacen persisted. He wanted to be there when his mother woke up.

In an hour or so, Sabine rushed into the medbay. Jacen jumped up and ran to her, and she picked him up. “Hey, kid. You doing alright?”

Jacen nodded his head as Rex walked over to them. 

“So, tell me everything that happened.” 

Rex did, but Jacen didn’t understand everything they were saying, and he was about to ask Sabine to explain it to him when the medic came into the room.

“I would like to speak with both of you.”

Sabine went to the chair and set Jacen down with his toy ship. She knelt down in front of him.

“Hey, buddy, can you wait here for just a minute? I promise I’ll be right back.”

Jacen nodded and Sabine ruffled his hair. 

“It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”

Sabine and Rex went to go talk to the medic while Jacen sat by the tank and waited, but it felt like absolutely forever. Hadn’t they been here for hours? Surely his mother would’ve woken up by now. He dropped his head against the back of the chair and looked at the bacta tank one more time. He just wanted his mother to wake up.

He fiddled with the toy ship as his eyes started to burn from tears. He wiped at them angrily. The room was deathly quiet except for the ringing in his ears and the beeping of the monitor by the bacta tank. 

Jacen got down from his chair, forgetting what Rex and Sabine told him, wanting to sit closer to the bacta tank. But before he plopped down in front, he stood there just watching his mother. 

The ringing just got louder and louder in his ears. Maybe that was just him being tired. He rubbed his eyes with a tired fist and reached for the tank with his other hand. The glass was cold when his palm touched it, and his face was close enough that it fogged up the glass.

But he could’ve swore his mother’s eyes fluttered, even for just a second. Jacen held his breath for a moment, not removing his hand from the bacta tank. 

His mother’s eyes fluttered again, and her body lost its unconscious stiffness. And then his mother opened her eyes. She was confused for a moment, then realized where she was. She looked down to see Jacen standing there. Slowly, her movements hindered by the bacta, she placed a hand on the inner glass, leaving Jacen’s hand dwarfed by hers. 

Jacen turned his head right as Sabine, Rex, and the medic rushed into the room. 

“Look!” Jacen yelled, absolutely delighted. “Mama woke up!”

Other medics hurried into the room as Sabine picked up Jacen. “‘Bean, Mama woke up!”

Sabine nodded and they walked out of the room. Jacen craned his neck to see what was going on, but he was whisked out the room too quick.

“‘Bean, can I see Mama?” Jacen asked as Sabine sat him down on the ground and took his hand. 

“When the medics say we can.”

“But what’s taking so long? She woke up.”

Sabine kneeled down in front of him. “I think they just want to make sure she’s completely okay.” She gave Jacen a hug, and let go and looked at him. “But, yeah, she woke up. That’s a good sign. Jacen… did you see what happened?”

“I put my hand on the glass. And she woke up. I don’t know what happened.”

Sabine’s expression changed. “Ah.”

“Wha’ happened?”

Sabine looked to the ground for a hard moment, then looked back to Jacen. “I’m not sure I would be the right person to explain.” Sabine hesitated. “And it isn’t something we should tell people. Let’s just keep this between you, me, and Mama for the moment? Alright?”

Jacen nodded. 

* * *

After an hour or so, the medic came into the room, letting them know that General Syndulla’s medical examination was cleared. She was still recovering from the crash, along with a fractured leg, but they couldn’t find anything else. The way she had landed the Y-Wing had prevented most possible injury, and her time in the bacta had aided most cuts and scrapes. She’d already asked to see Sabine and Jacen.

Sabine carried Jacen into the room and they found his mother lying in a bed, a band around one of her arms to monitor her heart rate, and a bandage wrapped tightly around the other. She was covered up to her upper waist with a blanket.

Sabine set Jacen down on the bed at the gesture of his mother. Jacen laid down next to his mother as she wrapped an arm around her son and gave him the biggest kiss on his forehead.

“Hey, baby.”

Jacen curled up closer to her. “Hi Mama.”

His mother looked up to Sabine. “I missed you both.”

“We missed you too,” Sabine said, pulling up a chair. “But we’re both glad you’re okay.”

“I woke you up in the bacta tank!” Jacen said, excited and having realized that it was just him, Sabine, and his mother in the room. 

His mother raised a brow and looked to Sabine. Sabine took a step closer and lowered voice. “Jacen managed to wake you up in the bacta tank. I don’t understand, and I don’t know if you do either. I told him that we should keep it a secret between the three of us for now. Just for safety reasons.”

His mother nodded, looking worried. "I completely agree."

Jacen didn’t ask any questions, just curled closer to his mother, who still held him in her embrace. She was extremely warm in this cold medbay.

“Rex went back to the ship,” Sabine continued, picking up her bag, “but he’ll want to know you’re okay. He was checking up on the Ghost. I’ll be back in a minute.” 

“I was worried, Mama,” Jacen said.

“I know, baby, I’m sorry. We didn’t know it was going to happen.”

Jacen nodded as his mother kissed him again. A medical droid came up to administer an IV for her. 

His mother winced as he began to do his work. Jacen avoided looking at the needle too.

“Mama, you don’t like needles do you?”

His mother looked at him. “No, I don’t. Frankly, I don’t think anyone does. I’m wary of them for sure, but, I know this isn’t going to hurt me, it’s going to make me feel better, and that’s a good thing.” Jacen rested his head on her shoulder.

“How about,” his mother continued, “you tell me what you did while I was gone? That way I don’t have to think about the needle.”

“Rex watched me and Poe yesterday.”

“That’s good,” his mother said. “Is he growing?”

“Yeah, babies grow fast.”

His mother gave a sigh. “Yes they do.”

Sabine finally came into the room with Rex, whose face was bright.

“It's good to see you, General.”

“It’s good to see you too Rex. Thank you for watching over Jacen.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” Rex replied. “He was good. We had fun.”

The adults talked for a long time, and Jacen fell asleep curled up against his mother’s side. He woke up at some time of night, lifting his head to look around. 

His mother stirred, opening her eyes. 

He built up his courage and whispered, “Mama, how come I was able to wake you up in the tank?”

His mother looked momentarily sad. “I can’t explain well enough.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I have no plans to take as long as a break as I did after my last fic, and I'm planning to post something in a couple days. 
> 
> As always, if there are any grammatical errors, or typos, feel free to let me know.


End file.
